• Don’t be afraid to admit you have problems. We’ve had years of cheap credit, and you are not alone in getting squeezed by the ‘credit crunch’.
• Don’t stick your head in the sand. Get in touch with your bank when the problems start – not when it gets too late. Banks are always more sympathetic if you come to them rather than waiting for them to chase you.
• Steer clear of attractive sounding loans e.g. ‘payday loans’ where the amount of interest charged is enormous.

But what can we do long-term?
I would like to see more credit unions set up. Because they rely on what is called a “common bond” (e.g. you have to live or work in a particular area), and are run on a not-for-profit basis, they have an appeal which the established banks don’t have. They also offer things like Christmas Savings Accounts – an improvement on Farepak. The Government has announced a review of legislation affecting credit unions, but I think in the current climate, that needs to become a priority rather than just sitting in the queue of all the other demands on legislative time.

The credit union in Blackpool, as you probably know, is the Tower View Community Credit Union, and is open to anyone living in Blackpool. £2.50 joining fee with several collection points across town. Website at www.blackpool4me.com/Blackpool4Me/Community/Organizations/TowerViewCommunityCreditUnion .

Something Government can do is to put more emphasis on financial literacy into the National Curriculum (if they can find room). This might be either as part of the mathematics course or as part of whatever the phrase they now use for ‘civics’ lessons. Every school seems to call it something different! I’ve seen it working in South Africa, where over half the population is “unbanked”, and it’s been a great success. Too many people in this country don’t really understand how their finances work, so don’t see trouble coming until it hits them, and don’t realise what poor value so many deals actually represent. This might encourage more of a savings culture, and emphasise the importance of making provision for your retirement on top of the state pension.

Her final stop was at the Breaks for Carers 2008 at Pontins, across from the dunes. Now I think that is just over the border in Fylde, so I hope my colleagues down that way don’t mind me treading on their turf – I know how proud they are of their dunes over the road!

Accommodation is provided on a free half-board basis including entertainment and leisure facilities. In 2007 a total of 780 adults and 364 children attended and 111 Carers Centres or projects participated.

The position of young carers in our society is one of those examples of ‘hidden neglect’ which drives me politically. Too often, small groups of people suffer because no-one highlights their cause, or it isn’t considered fashionable enough to reach the mainstream media, and so is ignored by a Government whose priorities are driven by those media headlines.

As the Princess Royal Trust for Carers says “Society is often negative about young people, but when it comes to children who provide care for their families, they are largely ignored and the vast majority get no help. The strategy aims to strike a balance between reducing the numbers of families relying on children and young people for care, and recognising that there will always be young carers who deserve specialist support.

Most parents would be shocked to hear that if they get a long term illness they might be forced to rely on their children for care, rather than adult professionals – it shouldn’t happen … But there is a long way to go, with good young carers’ services currently facing cuts”.

‘Something must be done’ is a truism – but a bit of creativity in what that something is doesn’t need to mean that more state funding is the only answer.